The Sediment Source and Transport Trends around the Abandoned Yellow River Delta,China

Sediment source and transport trends are influenced by various hydrodynamic factors, and thus play important roles in sedimentary evolution and coastal stability. To examine sediment transport trends around the abandoned Yellow River delta promontory and its erosion mechanism, we employ empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis to study sedimentary characteristics and transport trends of the abandoned Yellow River delta in northern Jiangsu Province, China. The results showed that: (1) the main sediment source in the abandoned Yellow River delta is the submarine coastal slope and both sides of the abandoned Yellow River Delta; (2) the main hydrodynamics controlling sediment transport is the current that runs along the shore, coupled with waves, especially southward currents; (3) the sediment of the study area was redistributed under hydrodynamics; coarse sediments were eroded and broadly transported to the south. Therefore, it is concluded that the sediment sources and transport have important influence on coastal evolution: the sediment source area shows mass loss of deposits and erosion; deposits in the submarine coastal slope provide the source and were continuously eroded to provide materials to other places as a sediment source.     

Soil phosphorus composition and phosphatase activities along altitudes of alpine tundra in Changbai Mountains,China

Alpine tundra ecosystems have specific vegetation and environmental conditions that may affect soil phosphorus(P) composition and phosphatase activities. However, these effects are poorly understood. This study used Na OH-EDTA extraction and solution31 P nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopy to determine soil P composition and phosphatase activities, including acid phosphomonoesterase(Ac P), phosphodiesterase(PD) and inorganic pyrophosphatase(IPP), in the alpine tundra of the Changbai Mountains at seven different altitudinal gradients(i.e., 2000 m, 2100 m, 2200 m, 2300 m, 2400 m, 2500 m, and 2600 m). The results show that total P(TP), organic P(OP), OP/TP, Na OH-EDTA extracted P and AcP, PD, and IPP activities over the altitude range of 2500–2600 m are significantly lower than those below 2400 m. The dominant extracted form of P is OP(73%–83%) with a large proportion of monoesters(65%–72%), whereas inorganic P is present in lower proportions(17%–27%). The activity of Ac P is significantly positively correlated with the contents of soil OP, total carbon(TC), total nitrogen(TN), and TP(P 0.05), indicating that the Ac P is a more sensitive index for responding P nutrient storage than PD and IPP. Soil properties, P composition, and phosphatase activities decrease with increased altitude and soil p H. Our results indicate that the distribution of soil P composition and phosphatase activities along altitude and Ac P may play an important role in P hydrolysis as well as have the potential to be an indicator of soil quality.     

Variation of Thornthwaite moisture index in Hengduan Mountains,China

The Thornthwaite moisture index, an index of the supply of water(precipitation) in an area relative to the climatic demand for water(potential evapotranspiration), was used to examine the spatial and temporal variation of drought and to verify the influence of environmental factors on the drought in the Hengduan Mountains, China. Results indicate that the Thornthwaite moisture index in the Hengduan Mountains had been increasing since 1960 with a rate of 0.1938/yr. Annual Thornthwaite moisture index in Hengduan Mountains was between –97.47 and 67.43 and the spatial heterogeneity was obvious in different seasons. Thornthwaite moisture index was high in the north and low in the south, and the monsoon rainfall had a significant impact on its spatial distribution. The tendency rate of Thornthwaite moisture index variation varied in different seasons, and the increasing trends in spring were greater than that in summer and autumn. However, the Thornthwaite moisture index decreased in winter. Thornthwaite moisture index increased greatly in the north and there was a small growth in the south of Hengduan Mountains. The increase of precipitation and decrease of evaporation lead to the increase of Thornthwaite moisture index. Thornthwaite moisture index has strong correlation with vegetation coverage. It can be seen that the correlation between Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI) and Thornthwaite moisture index was positive in spring and summer, but negative in autumn and winter. Correlation between Thornthwaite moisture index and relative soil relative moisture content was positive in spring, summer and autumn, but negative in winter. The typical mountainous terrain affect the distribution of temperature, precipitation, wind speed and other meteorological factors in this region, and then affect the spatial distribution of Thornthwaite moisture index. The unique ridge-gorge terrain caused the continuity of water-heat distribution from the north to south, and the water-heat was stronger than that from the east to west part, and thus determined the spatial distribution of Thornthwaite moisture index. The drought in the Hengduan Mountains area is mainly due to the unstable South Asian monsoon rainfall time.     

Assessing suitability of rural settlements using an improved technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution

Land suitability assessment is a prerequisite phase in land use planning; it guides toward optimal land use by providing information on the opportunities and constraints involved in the use of a given land area. A geographic information system-based procedure, known as rural settlement suitability evaluation (RSSE) using an improved technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), was adopted to determine the most suitable area for constructing rural settlements in different geographical locations. Given the distribution and independence of rural settlements, a distinctive evaluation criteria system that differed from that of urban suitability was established by considering the level of rural infrastructure services as well as living and working conditions. The unpredictable mutual interference among evaluation factors has been found in practical works. An improved TOPSIS using Mahalanobis distance was applied to solve the unpredictable correlation among the criteria in a suitability evaluation. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses obtained via Monte Carlo simulation were performed to examine the robustness of the model. Daye, a resource-based city with rapid economic development, unsatisfied rural development, and geological environmental problems caused by mining, was used as a case study. Results indicate the following findings: 1) The RSSE model using the improved TOPSIS can assess the suitability of rural settlements, and the suitability maps generated using the improved TOPSIS have higher information density than those generated using traditional TOPSIS. The robustness of the model is improved, and the uncertainty is reduced in the suitability results. 2) Highly suitable land is mainly distributed in the northeast of the study area, and the majority of which is cultivated land, thereby leading to tremendous pressure on the loss of cultivated land. 3) Lastly, 12.54% of the constructive expansion permitted zone and 8.36% of the constructive expansion conditionally permitted zone are situated in an unsuitable area, which indicates that the general planning of Daye lacks the necessary verification of suitability evaluation. Guidance is provided on the development strategy of rural settlement patches to support decision making in general land use planning.     

Analysis of phenotypic and genetic parameters for growthrelated traits in the half smooth tongue sole, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cynoglossus semilaevis</Emphasis>

Phenotypic and genetic parameters for growth-related traits in the half-smooth tongue sole, Cynoglossus semilaevis, were estimated in 22 full-sib families produced by normal and neo-male breeding stocks. As phenotypic males with female genotypes, neo-males are harmful in C. semilaevis aquaculture because they reduce overall production. The present study evaluated the difference in the growth-related traits: total length (TL), body weight (BW) and square root of body weight (SQ_BW) at the age of 570 days between normal and neo-male offspring (neo-males used as male parents). The difference in the proportion of females between normal and neo-male offspring was also assessed. Based on the linear mixed model, restricted maximum likelihood (REML) and best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) were used to estimate various (co)variance components and estimated breeding values (EBVs) of growth-related traits. As a result, all the mean values of the three studied traits were significantly larger in normal offspring than in neo-male offspring. Additionally, the female proportion was significantly larger in normal offspring than in neo-male offspring. Heritability was 0.128±0.066 2 for TL, 0.128±0.065 5 for BW and 0.132±0.062 9 for SQ_BW, all of which were low level heritabilities. The correlation coefficients of EBVs and phenotypic values of the target traits were 0.516 for TL, 0.524 for BW and 0.506 for SQ_BW, all of which were highly significant (P <0.01). Genetic correlations among TL, BW and SQ_BW were positive high (0.921–0.969) and higher than those of phenotype (0.711–0.748), both of which had low standard errors (0.063–0.123 for genotype, and 0.010–0.018 for phenotype). Compared with normal offspring, neo-male offspring have lower breeding values for each studied trait through EBVs comparison. Therefore, neo-male offspring should not be used as broodstock in a C. semilaevis breeding programs.     

Two new species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cobitis</Emphasis> Linnaeus (Teleostei: Cobitidae) from southern China

Two new species of the genus Cobitis from southern China, C. hereromacula from the Luohe River in Guangdong Province and C. baishagensis from the Nandujiang River in Hainan Province, are described and illustrated here. C. hereromacula can be distinguished from its congeners by possessing the following combination of characteristics: absence of the second and third pigmentary zones of Gambetta; 13–16 oval blotches on the dorsum and 10–13 vertical, elongated triangular blotches below the midlateral line with more than 20 vertical dark brown bars between them; 6–7 narrow rows of dark spots on the caudal fin; a vertical oval spot smaller than the eye diameter on the upper part of the caudal peduncle; pointed mental lobes of the lower lip pointed with a slightly filiform tip; one slender and long needle-shaped lamina circularis at the base of the first branched ray of the male pectoral fins. C. baishagensis can be distinguished from its congeners by the fourth Gambetta zone being covered by 10–12 transverse elongated blotches; 4–5 narrow rows of dark spots on the caudal fin; a vertical blotch smaller than the eye diameter on the upper part of the caudal peduncle; males with a slender and long needle-shaped lamina circularis at the second branched pectoral fin ray in males; large scales with a slightly large focal zone; undeveloped mental lobes with a lower lip that does not end posteriorly in a filiform tip.     

Enrichment characteristics and risk assessment of Hg in bird feathers from Caohai wetland in Guizhou Province,China

Based on the analysis of the enrichment characteristics of Hg and MeHg in bird feathers from Caohai National Nature Reserve in Guizhou, the risks of Hg pollution to the birds from Caohai wetland have been evaluated. The total Hg content of bird feathers ranges from 40 to 5058 ng/g with an average of 924 ng/g. The content of MeHg is significantly correlated with total Hg (r = 0.68, p < 0.01), and the content are among 0.75 and 113 ng/g. The total Hg content in the birds feathers is significantly dependent on their feeding habits, which is mainly in accordance with the following rule: carnivorous birds > omnivorous birds that are mainly carnivorous > omnivorous birds that are mainly herbivorous. There are also differences in the Hg enrichment ability in the different parts of bird feathers, and the total Hg and MeHg content in the wing feathers are significantly higher than that in the other parts of feathers. The bioaccumulation coefficients of aqueous Hg and MeHg by bird feathers are 0.9 × 10⁴–112.13 × 10⁴ (mean value is 20.47 × 10⁴) and 0.47 × 10⁴–70.4 × 10⁴ (mean value is 9.52 × 10⁴), respectively. Although the whole Hg level in Caohai bird feathers is not too high, the Hg content in some carnivorous birds exceeds over or approaches the abnormal threshold when birds are breeding (5 μg/g), which indicates that the birds in Caohai wetland are faced with some risks of ecological Hg pollution.     

Timing of mineralization at the Shihu gold deposit in the middle segment of the Taihang Mountain,China

The Shihu gold deposit, located in the middle-south section of the core of the Fuping mantle branch structure, is hosted in the Archean Fuping Group and adjacent to the quartz diorite porphyrite. The gold deposit is the only large gold deposit with reserves of more than 30 tons gold discovered in western Hebei Province so far. In order to constrain the timing of mineralization of this ore deposit, this paper focuses on the isotopic dating of zircon and pyrite. Zircons in gold-bearing quartz veins are magmatic in origin and no hydrothermal zircon has been found in such quartz veins, indicating that zircons were derived from the wall rocks. U–Pb ages of zircons fall mainly in the two domains: 2492 ± 82 and 136 ± 4 Ma, respectively, indicative of the contribution of the Fuping-Group TTG gneiss and Yanshanian igneous rocks, respectively. The Re–Os isotopic compositions of pyrites in the gold-bearing quartz veins yield an isochron age of 127 ± 31 Ma. Combined with other dating results, we suggest that the main metallogenic age of the Shihu gold deposit is 120–127 Ma.     

粤东南燕山期热隆伸展及其古水热系统——以恩平-新丰拆离断层为例

粤东南地区广泛发育燕山期NE-SW走向的拆离断层系统。文章对恩平-新丰拆离断层进行了野外地质调查和室内测试分析,重点研究了拆离断层之下韧性剪切带中的糜棱岩和拆离断层上盘与高角度脆性正断层伴生的硅化岩。初步认为,研究区热隆伸展构造于燕山早期开始形成,糜棱岩的变形温度在350℃左右,硅化岩内石英中气液包裹体的均一温度在155℃~326℃,盐度在2.74%~21.61% NaCl_eqv,平均盐度为11.17% NaCl_eqv,古热液流体沸腾时的温度在235℃~241℃,激光拉曼光谱分析结果表明,含硅热液的成分为富含Si、CO₂的NaCl-H₂O溶液。硅化岩流体包裹体的H-O稳定同位素组成表明古水热流体为岩浆水与大气降水混合作用的产物。沿着正断层分布的硅化岩可能是燕山期古水热型地热能的重要标志。燕山期热隆伸展构造系统及其深层与浅层相结合的古水热系统对认识现代地热能的类型、成因及其分布规律有一定的意义。